


How Do You Love? (Tenipuri)

by TheRainRogue



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 09:00:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24468349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRainRogue/pseuds/TheRainRogue
Summary: “I’m home.”I looked up from my racing game for a brief second before returning my attention to the TV. I easily missed the other racer that was trying to break my drift around the corner. He ended up slamming into the guard rail for his trouble. “Welcome back. How was the tournament?”
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3
Collections: Anime, Series





	1. Chapter 1

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

“I’m home.”

I looked up from my racing game for a brief second before returning my attention to the TV. I easily missed the other racer that was trying to break my drift around the corner. He ended up slamming into the guard rail for his trouble. “Welcome back. How was the tournament?”

“Boring. I couldn’t find anyone strong.” I heard the pout in his voice followed by the thump of his tennis bag hitting the floor. He plopped down beside me, his head falling onto my shoulder. “Do you think there will be stronger opponents in Japan?”

“Dunno.” I wanted to shrug but the weight on my shoulder prevented me from doing so. “It can’t be any worse than here. Maybe that’s why dad wants us to come back home – _goddamn it Carlos, keep up_.” I scowled at the NPC driver who couldn’t match my speed. Honestly, drift trains are easily the most annoying event in the game. It takes skill to stay off the gas enough for the others to stay with you while maintaining enough speed to perform a drift all while trying to avoid the other drivers that exist only to bump into you and try to ruin your otherwise perfect drift.

“When’s our flight?” He paused for a moment. “And what’s for dinner?”

“Tomorrow at noon. Traffic will be rough so we need to leave by ten-thirty at the latest.” I finished the drift train in first place, easily overcoming the target score. “What do you want to eat? McDonald’s?”

I felt him nod against my shoulder. “Can I stay here? I’m tired.”

I smiled softly, ruffling his soft dark green locks. “Yeah, go ahead and take a bath. I’ll grab you some food.”

“Okay~”

I grabbed my keys off the table and slipped my boots on. “Make sure you lock the door!” I heard his mutter of agreement as I closed the door. When I made it outside of the apartment building, I was met with the crisp spring air. The sun was low over the horizon, hiding behind tall buildings. The streets were full of people rushing home from work and heading out to eat, shop, or party. Honestly, there are so many people living in New York, it was suffocating. I’m happy to be returning to Japan, even though it’s been a long time since I was back there.

McDonald’s was only three blocks away from my apartment building so it didn’t take long to get there. Naturally, the place was friggin’ packed with people – it took longer to get my order than it did to walk to the damn place. I finally got my order and slipped through the crowd of people, out into the street.

I slipped into the alleyway because if one more person bumped into me, I was legit going to punch somebody. One drastic difference between Japan and America is the fact that Americans are dicks. That’s one of the main reasons I’m so happy to be leaving the country; maybe I won’t get into quite as many fights in Japan.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” An arm slung around my shoulder and the stench of body odor and alcohol reached my nose. “You shouldn’t be out alone, little girl.”

I scowled, shoving his arm off of me. “Fuck off,”

“Am I making you mad, _she-demon_?”

My eyes narrowed at the older man. “I’m not in the mood to deal with you. Find someone else to deal with.” I started to walk away.

“Where’s that precious baby brother of yours? Home alone, aye?” His laughter was cut off by my fist in his face, sending him flying back against the alley wall.

I dashed away toward my apartment building, not caring about the people I shoved out of the way. I rushed up the stairs and nearly slammed into the door as I forced the key into the lock, throwing the door open. It bounced against the wall from the force I used. I was about to scream Ryoma’s name when he came out of the hallway, a confused look on his face.

“What’s wrong, nee-chan?”

I took a deep breath, kicking the door shut with my foot before approaching him. I set the food on the table as I went and grabbed the fluffy white towel around his neck. He pouted when I started to dry his dark locks. “Nothing. I thought you were still in the bath.”

He narrowed his cat-like eyes at me but said nothing. That’s one of my favorite things about him – he always knows when I’m lying, but rarely questions it.

“Don’t stay up too late. It’ll be a pain to wake you in the morning.” I ruffled his hair before returning to the door to make sure it was shut and locked tight. If that bastard was really dumb enough to try and harm my baby brother, I certainly won’t make it easy for him. Thank god we’re leaving tomorrow.

A fresh start in a new country. Ryoma will be safer in Japan.

I flopped onto the floor in front of the coffee table, staring at the TV screen. My GT-R was banged up and bruised, despite not even being on the road; you could only hit it if you aimed for it. I scowled, bringing up the map and marking the closest gas station. I will never understand how people find it fun to slam into the car of a player that’s not even there.

Ryoma fell into the recliner, the paper bag crinkling as he pulled out his food. “Have you eaten, nee-chan?”

“Before you got home.”

Ryoma sat in the living room with me for the next hour, watching me playing my racing game until his eyes began to droop. When his breathing evened out, I closed out my game and carried him to his room. I tucked him under the covers before climbing into my own bed. I pulled out my phone to find a new message from my friend, Kenko.

We met during my first year of middle school. I had been the foreign kid that couldn’t speak Japanese. The other kids were scared of me because I had punched another kid on my first day. My dad, of course, managed to sweet-talk the principal, convincing her that I was just acting out because I was still adjusting. It was complete bullshit, but she bought it and I wasn’t expelled. Kenko had been the only one not afraid of me after that.

Naturally, I had tried to push him away – I was a complete bitch to him and I even threatened to hurt him – but he still stayed. He spoke English so it was easy to communicate with him, and he offered to help me learn Japanese. Before I knew it, he had wiggled his way in and had become a good friend of mine. Even after I left Japan to watch over Ryoma, he still kept in contact.

📥 _You weren’t planning on telling me, were you? 😉_

I raised my eyebrow. How had he found out? I made sure not to mention anything about returning to Japan. I figured it would be a nice surprise for him. He’s a genius, sure, but unless he’s also a stalker, there’s no way he could have found out.

📤 _What do you mean?_

📥 _IDIOT~ I know you’re coming home tomorrow_.

📤 _Am I? News to me_.

📥 _Remind me to smack you when you land_ ~

I scowled.

📤 _Smack me and you die. How’d you find out, anyway?_

📥 _Your father asked me to get your enrollment paperwork together~ Guess what school you’re going to!_

My eye twitched in annoyance. That damned old man… I should’ve known.

📤 _Seishun Gakuen with Ryoma_.

📥 _Negative~ You, Winchester-san, will be attending Rikkai Daigaku alongside the brilliant tensai, Yasujirou-san_.

Rikkai? What school is that? I did a quick google search and found the school’s website. It’s in Kanagawa… isn’t that an hour or so away from Tokyo? Why the hell would my old man let me go there? I thought I was supposed to watch over Ryoma.

📤 _Tensai, my ass. Why the hell am I going to Rikkai?_

📥 _Your dad thought it was best that you have a friend at your new school. Don’t want a repeat of middle school, right? 😉_

I narrowed my eyes at the message. Thinking about it, that did make sense. Kenko could probably keep me from breaking someone’s nose because we both know that someone is most likely going to piss me off as soon as I step into the building. Still… I’m not too happy about not going to the same school as Ryoma. I’ve been watching over him for so long.

Another message came through, breaking my thoughts.

📥 _I know what you’re thinking, but don’t worry, Ryo-chan will be fine. He’s a strong kid._

I’ve always hated how he can read my mind, even on the other side of the planet. I didn’t respond, setting my phone on the floor next to the bed before rolling over to face the wall.

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━


	2. Chapter 2

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

Morning came quicker than I would’ve liked and I found my eyes peeling open just as the sun started to shine through the curtains. I glanced at the clock and sighed; seven o’clock. On the off chance that I _did_ manage to fall asleep again, I probably wouldn’t wake up soon enough to catch our taxi. I looked over at my brother and smiled, throwing the covers back and grabbing my cell phone.

Ryoma was still fast asleep, sprawled out on his back. Wrapped in his arms was a plush cat that looked exactly like his real cat, Karupin. I snapped a quick picture of the cute scene before quietly leaving the bedroom to let him sleep. That boy would never admit it, but I know that he’s happy to be returning home, if only for the fact that he’ll get to see his precious Karupin again. Who could blame him, though? That cat is hella freaking cute.

I grabbed a Dr. Pepper from the fridge before falling onto the couch. I had about three hours of free time before it was time to head to the airport. Ryoma should wake up around eight and then I can make him a quick breakfast if he’s hungry. I had packed our things yesterday so I don’t have that to worry about.

“In the meantime,” I exchanged my soda for the Playstation controller. “Time to kick some ass in some drift events.”

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

It was exactly 10:45 when we reached the airport. While I carried both our bags to the terminal, Ryoma darted over to the vending machines. I waited for him to return with a grape soda for him and a DP for me. We showed the woman our passports and ticket and boarded the plane without any issue. While I was busy putting our bags in the compartment above our seats, Ryoma stole my window seat.

I scowled at him, taking the seat next to him in the middle of the row – which his ass was supposed to be in. Like always, I gave in to my baby brother and let him have his way.

“Excuse me… miss?” The stewardess – a young thing no more than twenty-five – leaned down toward me with a nervous expression. “It seems there was a mix up with seats.”

I narrowed my eyes. I know this bitch isn’t about to tell me I have to move seats.

She refused to look at me as she swallowed hard, obviously intimidated. “Umm… well…”

A scoff came from behind her as a boy moved to stand next to her. He was tall, probably about six foot, and he was dressed in a basketball uniform. His hair was sandy brown in color, his eyes slate gray and his skin tanned. He looked around the same age as myself.

He stepped forward. “They gave my seat to some man-hungry middle-aged woman. The only available seat is next to you. You mind?”

I shrugged. “Go for it,”

The boy threw his bag into the compartment before taking the empty seat on my right. The smell of Irish spring reached my nose. Well, at least this boy had good taste in soap.

Ryoma leaned forward to get a better look at him. “Hey, what’s your name?”

The boy glanced at him. “Rei Shishido,”

“Hmm, you’re not from the states, are you?”

“No,” He answered shortly, probably wondering if he should go into detail.

“We’re stuck together for fourteen hours. Let’s get along, senpai~”

I rolled my eyes at my brother’s attitude, sliding down in my seat to get more comfortable. He did have a point, but I wasn’t too interested – we’d probably never even see this kid again. The real question is, why is Ryoma so interested? It was unlike him.

“I’m from Tokyo, returning from a basketball tournament. You?”

“Ryoma Echizen. Tennis tournament.”

I suddenly felt eyes on me and looked up to find both males staring at me. “The fuck are you lookin’ at me like that for?”

Ryoma sighed, motioning toward me with his hand. “This is my nee-chan, Lux.”

Why the hell did I need to be introduced? I wasn’t even part of their conversation.

“Neh, senpai, what school do you attend?”

“Rikkai Daigaku. It’s in the Kanagawa prefecture.”

My body tensed, my left eye twitching. Okay, so maybe we _would_ see each other again… I noticed Ryoma’s smirk out of the corner of my eye. So this is what he was playing at, the cheeky brat. How did he know? Was my baby brother psychic or something?

“What a coincidence, that’s the school my nee-chan is going to attend. Please take care of her for me, senpai~”

“ **Ryoma** ,” I narrowed my eyes at him and he tried to pull off this innocent look. It was completely shadowed by the smug smirk, though. I swear to god when I see Kenko, I’m gonna beat his ass. Can’t he keep anything to himself? He’s just like my old man. How meddlesome.

“Y-Yeah. I’ll do my best.” Rei responded, shocking the both of us – not only with his response but also because he was hiding pink cheeks behind his tan hand.

“Don’t force yourself,” I muttered. Ryoma was trying to stifle his laughter but failed when I glared at him.

The rest of the flight passed without incident. Ryoma spent most of the time reading tennis magazines and sleeping. I spent it playing racing games on my Vita. Rei had tuned us out with his headphones.

The plane landed shortly after one in the morning.

Ryoma was fast asleep against the window. I shook him lightly but he only groaned softly, so I decided it would be less work just to carry him. I slid my arms under his small body, bringing him to my chest. He shifted with another groan, wrapping his arms around my neck. When I turned around, Rei was standing in the aisle with his bag slung over one shoulder and ours thrown over the other. Rather than questioning him, I just nodded my thanks when I brushed past him.

“Who’s coming to pick you up?” He questioned.

“Our old man, if he didn’t forget. What about you?”

“My dad.” He shifted the bags when they started to fall. “Maybe my younger brother.”

“ _Luxray-chan_ ~!”

My body tensed up as a tick mark appeared below my eye. “Kenko,” I growled out, my narrowed eyes quickly searching the crowd of people until I found him. I met him halfway, kicking my leg up to slam the bottom of my boot into his face. “I’m not a fucking pokemon, you asshole!”

“O-Oi!” Rei called in surprise, his voice laced with worry and confusion.

“Welcome home, Miss Winchester~!” Kenko grinned from his position on the ground. His hand was holding his bright red nose, muffling his words. “Your old man was busy, so he sent me to pick you up.”

“Why does this feel planned?”

“Because it was.”

“Kenko.”

“Yes?”

“You’re lucky I’m holding Ryoma.”

“I know.” He smiled, pulling himself to his feet. His violet eyes landed on Rei and his smile dropped, attitude changing from cheerful to tense. “Shishido-san.”

“Yasujirou.” Rei’s attitude didn’t change – he still looked confused.

I raised a brow at my friend. “I take it you two know each other.”

He forced a bright smile. “We’ve both gone to Rikkai high since first year.”

“Heh, I sense some hostility, Kenko-senpai.” Came Ryoma’s cocky voice from my arms. This was the first time he had met Kenko in person, though they’ve talked on the phone numerous times before. “You can put me down now, nee-chan.”

I placed him on his feet.

“No~, there’s no hostility between us at all, chibi-chan.” Kenko honestly should’ve been an actor. Even I almost believed his cheerful demeanor. _Almost_.

“Bro! There you are.” A younger boy approached Rei. His hair was a darker brown but his skin wasn’t as tan. “Eh? Who are they?”

“No one important.” Kenko gave the boy a closed-eye smile as he took our bags from Rei. “We really should get going, your old man is waiting!” He grabbed both my arm and Ryoma’s in a tight grip, practically dragging us toward the exit despite our protests.

When we made it outside, I ripped my arm from his grip with a scowl. “The fuck is your problem?” He opened his mouth to respond but I cut him off. “And don’t lie to me, idiot.”

“Fine, fine.” He sighed. “Shishido is part of the basketball club, the most brutal club in the entire school. All of the members are cruel, violent, and can’t be trusted. Everyone avoids them if possible. Personally, I don’t trust any of them as far as I can throw them.”

“Which isn’t very far,” I commented.

“He seemed fine to me.” Ryoma shrugged.

“It’s easy to pretend, ne~?” Kenko put on his fake eye-smile again to prove his point.

We exchanged a look before Ryoma shrugged, tugging his cap down. Kenko caught a cab and started to place our bags in the trunk. Before I could slide into the backseat, Ryoma grabbed my wrist and tugged me down so he could whisper in my ear. I snickered at his request and nodded, allowing him to climb in first. Right before Kenko followed, I smacked him in the back of his head making him fall face-first onto the leather seat.

I grinned at him as he shifted to make room for me. “That was for calling him chibi-chan.”

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━


	3. Chapter 3

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

I slid out of the cab and stared up at the Echizen residence. Kenko went to grab the bags from the trunk while Ryoma went straight through the gate and up to the front door. Wanting to hurry up and get back to sleep, I imagine. I heard the trunk lid slam shut followed by the sound of the engine fading away into the quiet night.

Kenko bumped my shoulder with his own. “You okay?”

I shrugged, grabbing my bag from his hand. “You’re staying the night, right?”

“Of course! I love Rinko-san’s cooking~”

I rolled my eyes as I pushed the gate open. “Gee, don’t I feel special.”

“Don’t act like you’re offended.”

Rinko greeted us at the door. She smiled brightly, pulling me into a tight embrace. “Welcome home, Lux.”

“Thanks,” I muttered softly, patting her back awkwardly with my free hand. I’ve never been big on hugs, but I didn’t want to be mean to the woman that practically raised me. She’s always been so kind, the least I can do is return that.

She pulled away. “I’m sure you’re tired. Go on up to bed and we’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”

Without a word, we headed up the stairs to my bedroom. Nothing had been touched like I was expecting – that damn old man loved to go through my shit. Doing his ‘fatherly duty’, he claims, but we both know damn well that he’s looking for blackmail material. Not that he’s gonna find anything – I’d never leave something behind that could be used against me.

I fell face-first onto the sheets, ice-cold due to the air conditioner. I could feel Kenko crawl over me to lay with his back against the wall. When I opened my eyes, I was met with a pair of pale feet. I scowled, flicking the top of his foot.

“Throw me a pillow, please~ … ouch!”

He got what he asked for – I did in fact throw him a pillow. Not my fault it hit him in the face. “Why can’t you sleep on the floor, huh?”

“Because it’s not comfortable, obviously.”

“This bed’s too small, damn it,” I muttered, turning over to face away from the wall. “If you kick me, you die.”

“Yes, yes~ Good night, Lux.”

“Night, Kenko.”

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

“Luxray-chan~ Wake u~p!”

My first flew out from under the covers, making contact with a face. A yelp soon followed. I sat up, glaring at him through half-lidded eyes. “Asshole, I told you to stop calling me that!”

“How can you be so violent as soon as you wake up?” Kenko rubbed his bright red cheek. “You wouldn’t wake up and it’s almost eleven o’clock. The day is wasting away~”

I scoffed, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep – I was seriously jet-lagged. I knew there was a very slim chance of that happening, though, so I forced myself out of the bed. He followed me down the stairs, humming softly.

My cousin, Nanako, was at the sink washing dishes – most likely from the breakfast that we missed. Well, Kenko probably ate, anyway. Rinko was nowhere to be found – probably out shopping or got called into work. The old man was lying down on the porch, flipping through one of his dirty magazines.

I approached him, kneeling down behind him. “You never change, old man.”

He grinned over his shoulder. “Welcome home, kid.”

“U-Uncle!” Nanako cried, rushing over to us. “How can you read that smut in front of your daughter?”

He shrugged, turning back to his magazine. “Lux doesn’t care, ne?”

“Why would I?” I shrugged, heading over to grab a piece of bacon off the table. “Doesn’t affect me. He can do whatever he wants. Besides, he even asked me to bring some playboy home from the states. I forgot, by the way.”

He frowned. “I figured.”

“Don’t encourage him, Lux!”

I rolled my eyes. Honestly, why is she constantly worried so much about what the old man does? How annoying. “Is Ryoma still sleeping?”

“He left thirty minutes ago,” Oyaji answered as he stood up, shoving the magazine into his robe before Nanako could grab it. He sat down beside me and grabbed the last piece of bacon from Kenko’s hand.

“Where’d he go?”

“Kakinokizaka junior tennis tournament.”

“What would you like to eat?” Nanako questioned with a smile. “Wait, Lux – !”

I ignored her calls, slipping on my boots before rushing out the door. That brat, why didn’t he say anything about it? He’s so fucking cheeky, it’s easy for him to make enemies. So many people tried to attack him back in the states – would Japan be the same way? Rushed footsteps headed toward me and Kenko threw his arm around my shoulder to stop me from moving forward.

“Do you even know where the tennis gardens are?” He raised a brow, fighting back a smile when I scowled at him.

“I would’ve found it.”

“Before or after he finds trouble?”

“…”

He chuckled, moving his arm to wrap around my own as we continued on in the same direction. “Well, it’s good to see your instincts are still on point – you were going in the right direction.”

“Don’t doubt me, Kenko.”

“I would never~”

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

“Where the hell is that kid?” I muttered, shoving my hands into my pockets. We had been searching this damned place for about thirty-five minutes without any sign of him.

“Maybe he finished his match and went home.” Kenko reasoned.

“Ryoma-kun!” A female voice reached my ears and I took off in the direction it came from. We were lead to one of the nearby courts.

Ryoma was on his hands and knees with a girl kneeling beside him. When I got closer, I noticed his hand covering his face, and… is that blood?

I felt anger boiling in my veins as my narrowed eyes snapped to the guy on the other side of the court. “You mother fucker!”

Kenko grabbed me around my neck and waist, the heels of his feet digging into the ground from the effort it took to hold me back. “You can’t kill someone on your first day back in Japan! At least wait a week!”

“Screw that! He hurt Ryoma!”

“Don’t come onto the court during a game.” Ryoma scolded, pushing the girl away. He stood up, revealing a small cut on the center of his forehead. Blood was dripping down his nose. “Your grip is weak. _Mada mada dane_.”

I struggled against Kenko’s grip, turning toward my baby brother. “Kick his ass, Ryo!”

The match resumed but the white-haired idiot never loosened his grip on me. Ryoma jumped into the air and hit the kid with his twist serve, nearly smacking him in the face with the ball.

“Hey grandma, didn’t that ball spin the other way?”

I glanced over toward the voice and saw the girl standing beside an older woman. That woman looks really familiar, but I don’t have time to dwell on that thought. Ryoma served again and, this time, the ball smacked the kid right in the face, sending him to his hands and knees.

“That’s my boy!”

“You shouldn’t encourage violence among kids, Lux-chan~”

Another twist serve.

Another hit to the face.

“Go to hell!” I growled at him. Ryoma hit a normal serve but the boy screamed in fear and fell into the fetal position. “ _Stupid_ ,”

“Game and set. Won by Echizen.”

I rushed over to him, dragging Kenko with me – since he still hadn’t let me go. I whipped his hat off and grabbed his chin to force him to look up at me. I inspected the wound and was relieved to find that it was just a scratch. It had stopped bleeding, as well. I ruffled his hair before giving his hat back. “I’m proud of you, kiddo.”

“Fool. I wasn’t playing seriously.” The boy stood up and smirked. “I can beat you if there was one more set!”

“Sasabe, just stop… just admit that you lost…”

“You think you’re so tough. I’ll show you tough, you son of a – ” I was stopped by Ryoma this time, his hand wrapped tight around my wrist.

He moved to stand in front of me. “It’s fine with me if you want to play one more set.” He switched the racket to his dominant hand and I smirked.

“Don’t you get it? You stubborn fool…” The old woman spoke up, crossing her arms over her chest and grinning. “You can’t beat Echizen Ryoma no matter how many times you try.”

I raised my brow as I looked at her. She seemed pretty knowledgeable about my brother. It’s not so much of a surprise – he’s hella accomplished in the tennis world, especially for being so young. Still, it felt like she knew something else.

“What are you talking about?” Sasabe demanded.

I stepped off the court as Ryoma got into position to serve. I sent the bastard a grin. “He’s left-handed, _dumbass_!”

Ryoma’s serve was twice as powerful, slamming against the court between the kid’s legs hard enough to leave a mark.

Sasabe fell straight onto his ass. “I quit!” He cried before running away with his tail tucked between his legs.

“What a pussy.” I scoffed, folding my arms. “Will you let go already?”

He rested his chin on my shoulder. “Promise not to commit mass murder?”

“If you don’t let me go, you’ll be the first one I kill.”

He finally released me and I followed my brother as he put his racket away into his bag. I glanced at the older woman as we passed and got this strange sense of deja vu. Damn, why did she seem so familiar? It’s bugging the crap outta me.

I scowled, turning slightly toward her. “Oi, what’s your name?”

She looked at me in surprise before smiling kindly. That was not a smile that you give to a strange; it was too… familiar. “Ryuzaki Sumire.”

Even the name sounds familiar. My brow furrowed in thought.

“Nee-chan,” Ryoma called.

I decided to let it go, following after him. It probably wasn’t important anyway.

“What was that about?” Kenko questioned.

“Nothing. She just looked familiar.”

“Do you recognize her, Ryo-chan?”

“Nope.”

“Not important, then.” He shrugged. “How’d the tournament go?”

“I forfeited.”

“Why?” I scowled, glancing down at him.

He shrugged. “I was late for the match.”

I facepalmed. What the hell am I gonna do with this kid?

Echizen Ryoma, you will be the death of me.

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━


	4. Chapter 4

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

I woke up when something smacked against my face, leaving a dull throb in my nose. My eyes peeled open and the first thing I saw was the pale skin of Kenko’s foot a mere inches from my face. I scowled, pushing myself up to yell at him, but I stopped short. Karupin was sprawled out across his face; I’m just going to assume that he’s doing us a favor and trying to smother the eighteen-year-old.

I glanced at the clock: four-thirty in the morning.

With a sigh, I pushed the covers away and crawled out of bed. School starts at eight and the train to Kanagawa is about an hour-long ride, give or take. The last thing I feel like dealing with is being rushed. Pisses me off.

I stood under the cold water of the shower, eyes closed. Did I feel nervous about today? A little, but not for the typical reasons. I’m worried about whether or not I will be able to control myself. Living in the states meant meeting a lot of people that pissed me off or that was pissed off by me, which in turn led to fights and being expelled from various schools – not to mention being arrested a time or two. Was this my last chance? I don’t know.

Above all else, I don’t wanna let my old man down any more than I already have. After everything he’s done for me, a child he had no responsibility for, I’ve done a piss poor job of repaying him. Now that I’m thinking about it, the only positive thing I’ve done since joining the Echizen family is keeping Ryoma safe and shadowing him in the states.

I sighed, leaning my forehead against the cold tile of the wall. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that I’m a problem child. And yet… that idiot hasn’t given up on me. None of them have. I’ve got to get my shit together.

I slipped out of the shower, drying off before wrapping the towel around my body and returning to my room.

Five-twenty in the morning.

Kenko was still asleep, but Karupin was nowhere to be found. Most likely he returned to Ryoma’s room. I grabbed my bag from beside the bed and started to dig for something to wear. A thought struck me and I paused. Don’t Japanese kids wear uniforms? Had they gotten me one?

“Oi, Kenko. Wake up.”

He mumbled something about _data_ and _Aries_ but didn’t wake.

I scowled, looking over at my desk. I spotted the Rhino plush that dad had given me for my fifteenth birthday. With a shrug, I grabbed it and chucked it at his face. He yelped in surprise before rolling off the bed, hitting the floor face-first with a loud _thump_.

“Good morning.” He groaned, rubbing his nose. How I haven’t managed to break it is beyond me. Maybe it’s made of lead or something.

“Is there a uniform?”

He blinked, taking a moment to respond. “Yeah, it’s in the closet.”

I felt annoyance linger in the back of my mind as my hand hovered in front of the door. Sliding it open, I released a breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding. Two sets of the same uniform were hung side by side; navy blue slacks, white shirt, teal tie with silver stripes, and a dark green jacket.

A hand landed on my shoulder. “Did you really think we’d order you the girl’s uniform? Give your best friend and father some credit.”

I felt my lips curl up. “Thanks, Kenko. Now get the fuck out so I can get dressed.”

It only took me about five minutes to get dressed and find my way downstairs. Rinko was already in the kitchen, humming to herself as she prepared to start breakfast.

“Morning.” I greeted her, opening the fridge. I was surprised but happy to find a full row of Dr. Pepper cans.

“Good morning, dear. How’d you sleep?” She questioned with a smile.

“Fine.” I sat down at the table, sipping the soda. “Thanks for buying these.”

“I know it’s your favorite. Consider it my welcome home gift.” She began to cook. “Are you excited for your first day?”

“I don’t think anyone is ever excited for their first day of school… I’ll do my best, though.”

She hummed. “That’s all we’ve ever asked. The boy’s uniform looks cute on you, by the way.”

I scoffed, leaning back in my chair. “I don’t do _cute_ , Rinko.”

She chuckled in response and we settled into a comfortable silence. A few minutes passed before Kenko, dressed in his own uniform, and Nanako came down the stairs, chatting happily with each other.

“Good morning, oba-chan. Lux.” She greeted with a smile. “Don’t you have to get ready for work? I can take over.”

“Thank you.” Rinko smiled at her before disappearing up the stairs.

Kenko tried to swipe my soda but I smacked his hand away, glaring at him. “I will stab you with a fucking fork.”

He pouted. “You’re so greedy.”

“No one touches my soda.”

“Mornin’.” Ryoma yawned, ruffling his messy hair as he entered the kitchen.

Nanako served us breakfast. Rinko came down and hugged each one of us, wishing us a good day before rushing out the door for work. We ate quickly before getting up to leave for the train station.

I stopped behind Ryoma, ruffling his already messy hair. “Text me if anything happens, and stay out of trouble, yeah?”

He pouted, looking away in embarrassment. “I’ll be fine, nee-chan.”

Kenko handed me my bag when I reached the door and we left the house. “Are you worried?”

“No. I’ve taught him well. He can handle himself.”

“Now _that_ worries me.”

“And anyone he can’t handle,” I slammed my fist into the palm of my hand, cracking my knuckles, “I’ll **destroy**.”

He sweatdropped, patting my shoulder. “Yes, yes.”

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

Kenko lead me to the front office to speak to the principle. Although he and my old man had gotten my books and schedule already, the principal wanted to speak to me directly before class started. For what, neither of us knew.

We approached the woman sitting behind the desk. The nameplate read Akemi Claire. Her hair was the color of wet sand, falling down below her shoulders, and her eyes were a mix of brown and gold. If I’m being honest, she looked like a stuck up bitch.

“Good morning, Akemi-sensei.” Kenko smiled at her in greeting.

She smiled brightly, brushing her bangs away from her eyes. “Kenko! To what do I owe this pleasure on the first day, hmm?”

“Principal Haruse wanted to see Winchester Lux before class.” He answered, motioning toward me with his hand.

Her eyes snapped to me, sparkling with mischief. “Can she speak Japanese?”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Yes, she can.”

“One moment.” Amusement flashed through her eyes as she stood up. When she disappeared into one of the offices in the back, Kenko nudged me in the ribs with his elbow.

“Be _nice_.” He scolded, softly. I only scoffed in response, folding my arms over my chest. It’s not my fault she’s a bitch.

The woman returned and instructed me to enter the office she just left from. I ignored Kenko’s look as I headed for the door without a word. I didn’t bother knocking, either, and pushed it open to step inside. The back of the principle’s chair was facing me, preventing me from seeing what they looked like.

A deep voice reached my ears. “Close the door and have a seat.”

I complied, dropping the bag on the floor near my feet.

The chair turned to reveal a tall man, probably six-one or two, with long black hair tied in a long, thin braid. His eyes, a deep shade of chocolate brown, were strict yet somehow kind at the same time. He clasped his hands together on the desk. “How was your flight, Winchester-san?”

I raised a brow, resting my ankle across my knee. “Is it common in Japan for the principle of a school to ask his students how their flight was?”

“No,” He chuckled. “I’m an old friend of your father. He asked me to look after you.”

“I’m more than capable of looking after myself, thanks. Can I go now?”

“Yes, I’m well aware of how you look after yourself.”

My body automatically tensed up and my eyes narrowed at him. Of course I wanted to snap at him – what the hell does he know about me? But I held my tongue. Not only is he the fucking principle of the school, but he’s also a friend of my old man.

“Your school record is easily accessed by school officials.” He continued, watching me closely. I expected to see pity or disgust lingering within his eyes – both of which I had learned to pick up on almost instantly after having received them both so many times growing up, but his eyes didn’t display either of those. There was something else, something I couldn’t place. “I will be honest with you, Winchester-san. When a school official looks at your record, they are most likely to think of you as a loose cannon. You’re a risk, a liability that they are not willing to take on.”

I was silent for a moment before a question entered my mind. It came out before I could stop it. “Is that why the old man didn’t send me to Seishun?”

“Due to Nanjirou’s connections, the school would have accepted you.” He closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. “However, in the words of your father; _‘I don’t feel like she’ll have a fair shot there’_.”

“But I will here?” I scoffed, sliding down in the chair.

“Yes, you will.” He smiled at me. This time I recognized the emotion floating in his eyes – it was the exact same look that dad had when he first adopted me. _Kindness_. “I’m the only one that knows of your record and I will keep it that way. The rest is up to you. You must learn to control your temper, Winchester-san.”

My eyes shifted to the side. Like I don’t already know that, but it’s not as simple as saying that I’m not gonna get pissed anymore. I’ve been trying to control it since I was a fucking kid.

He smiled softly. “I believe in you, Winchester-san.” The warning bell rang and he reached into his desk, pulling out a pad and a pen. “Class is about to start. I’ll write you a note so you don’t get into trouble on your first day. Akemi-sensei will show you to your class.”

I grabbed the note and my bag before heading to the door. Before I could grab the handle, he called my name. I stopped but didn’t turn.

“If you run into any problems, feel free to come and see me.”

I left the room with a scowl on my face, not knowing how I feel about this whole situation. Claire was waiting for me, and she escorted me to class 3-B without a word being exchanged. When we arrived, she patted my shoulder and wished me good luck before disappearing.

Scowl still in place, I slid the door open and stepped inside. The teacher stopped speaking and the entire class turned to stare at me, making my eye twitch. I hate unwanted attention, damn it. My eyes scanned the class and locked with Kenko’s violet ones. He sent me an encouraging smile, nodding his head.

“May I help you?” The teacher asked, kindly. His hair was cotton candy pink, pinned back with bobby pins, and his eyes were sky blue. Honestly, this guy didn’t look like a teacher, he looked like a fucking model.

“Sorry I’m late,” I answered blankly, handing him the note.

He took a moment to read it before nodding. “You can take the empty seat next to Shishido-san.”

My eye twitched again as a hand raised into the air. Our eyes met and I fought the urge to facepalm as I took the seat next to Rei. What was this cliche bullshit happening right now? Kenko didn’t look too happy about the arrangement either.

Rei nodded his head at me before turning back to the basketball magazine that lay open on his desk. A basketball sat tucked between his feet.

 _Great_ , I sighed, resting my cheek in the palm of my hand as I stared out the window, _another sport-obsessed freak_.

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

The bell for lunch finally rang and I stood up with a sigh, stretching my arms over my head to make my back crack. Before I could step away from my desk, a boy appeared in front of me, standing about three inches taller. His hair reached well past his waist in a thick braid – it was an ombre of pink and orange. His eyes were sky blue and he was grinning widely.

“Hello, beautiful.” He reached out to grab my hand and I took notice of his nails – they were painted the same color as his eyes. I smacked his hand away before he could grab me. “My name is Uno. And you are?”

“None of your damn business.” I scowled. “Get out of the way.”

“There’s that American attitude!” He grinned wider. What, is he the fucking Cheshire cat or something? “I’m from England.”

“Good for you.” I tried to step around him but he grabbed my arm. My fists automatically clenched at my sides. I’m trying really hard to behave, but this kid is just _asking_ to bleed.

“Leave her alone, Howell.” Rei smacked his hand away and stepped in between us, his back facing me.

Uno pouted. “No fair, Rei! You don’t even care about girls, don’t go trying to claim her!”

“Nobody claims me, asshole,” I growled, shoving his shoulder as I forced myself past. I heard him whining about Rei not letting him go, so I assume he tried to come after me. I guess I need to thank the basketball freak for that later.

Kenko cocked his head to the side when I reached his desk. “I think Howell-kun just broke his own record; he’s never hit on a girl that quickly before.”

“Fucking annoying.”

He chuckled, wrapping his arm around my own. “He loves girls, but he’s pretty harmless. Not good with personal space, though.”

“Clearly,”

“So~ Are you going to tell me what you and principal Haruse talked about?”

“My record.” I stopped walking, staring at the floor blankly. “Did you know?”

“About your record? Of cou – ”

“Don’t play dumb, Kenko.”

He sighed softly before tightening his grip on my arm. He led me out of the crowded hallway and out behind the school where a small seating area had been placed. There wasn’t another person in sight. He sat down on the stone bench and I reluctantly sat next to him.

“The original plan was to have you attend Seishun Gakuen with Ryoma. The principle agreed, although reluctantly. Your dad didn’t like the way he acted when he found out, so he reached out to Haruse instead.” He smiled, sheepishly. “I’m sorry for not telling you. Your dad didn’t want you to know, he was trying to – ”

“Protect me.” I sighed, running my hand through my hair. “Fucking idiot, I don’t need protection.”

He patted my shoulder. “Just let him have this one.”

“…fine.”

“Now then,” Kenko stood up, clapping his hands cheerfully. “Let’s get some food, I’m starving!”

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━


End file.
